2017 Nissan GT-R Super GT racer revealed

The third and final race car for the 2017 season of popular Japanese touring car series Super GT, the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500, has been revealed.

The will compete in the premier GT500 class alongside the new-for-2017 Honda NSX-GT and Lexus LC GT500 race cars, which replace the respective NSX-GT Concept and RC F GT500 cars that competed in 2016. (The 2016 title went to Lexus Team SARD and star drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate.)

The basic design of the GT-R Nismo GT500 carries over from the previous season, though there have been some key changes, mainly in the area of aerodynamics. For example, the 2017 season of Super GT sees a 25 percent reduction in total downforce for the GT500 class.

Nissan says its car also features some enhancements aimed at improving endurance and reliability, as well as power delivery. Under the hood remains a regulation-specific turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 spitting out approximately 650 horsepower. It’s mated to a 6-speed sequential gearbox and spins the rear wheels.

The car's dynamics were also improved through a lowered center of gravity and an optimization of weight distribution, with total weight still meeting the minimum 1,020-kilogram (approximately 2,249 pounds) mark for the GT500 class.